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Outreach Programs

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Bring the fun of hands-on learning to your school with a National Aquarium traveling outreach program. These programs offer personal attention and close contact with Aquarium animals and artifacts, and also support the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum.

Traveling outreach programs are available October 3, 2016–April 7, 2017.

Reservations for the 2016–2017 school year will be accepted beginning June 15, 2016 at 9 a.m.

Outreach program fees vary. Please refer to the specific program descriptions below for more information. Depending on your distance from the Aquarium, you may be charged an additional travel fee of $20 to $100.

Classroom Programs

Preschool and Kindergarten

Slither, Slide, Creep, and Crawl: Ocean Animal Exploration (Pre-K - K)
A box of props comes alive as students investigate how sea animals move, eat and protect themselves. Students will also get an up close look at some live ocean animals.
Curriculum 1A, 3A

Program Length: 30 to 45 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: Yes
Number of Students: 25
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Two Legs, Four Legs, Six Legs, More! (Pre-K - K)
Animals use their legs in many ways. Some crawl, while others hop. Students will mimic animal locomotion and practice counting

Program Length: 30 to 45 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: Yes
Number of Students: 25
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Grades 1-12

Adaptations (Grades 1–4)
Students become detectives looking for clues on the “Creature Lab Coat,” as they deduce how adaptations help animals survive. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3C.

Program Length: 30 to 45 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: Yes
Number of Students: 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Bountiful Biomes (Grades 2–4)
Investigate biomes all over the world, ranging from the distant rain forests and deserts to the forests found just outside the schoolyard. Discover how animals use adaptations to survive in these very different places.
Curriculum 1A, 1B, 3A, 3F, 6B

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days Offered: Monday–Friday
Live Animal: Yes
Number of Students: Up to 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Life in the Tropical Rain Forest (Grades 2–4)
Using costumes and puppets, students explore how plants, animals and indigenous people depend on each other to survive in the South American rain forest. Get up-close with living animals, rain forest products and artifacts. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: Yes
Number of Students: Up to 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: Up to 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Squid Dissection Lab (Grades 5–12)
Investigate an unusual mollusk through discussion and dissection. Discover how form and function of the squid’s basic anatomy help this efficient predator survive in the ocean. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: Up to 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Amelia’s Journey: Marine Debris from the Bay to the Sea (Grades 6-8)
Join Amelia the American Eel as she encounters marine debris on her journey from the Chesapeake Bay to the Sargasso Sea. Each situation presents an activity to illustrate the issue and encourage creative solutions. Participants will build crab pots with safety devices, simulate how plastic trash impacts a salt marsh food web and design ways to remove microplastics from the ocean.

Program Length: 60 Minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Ocean Chemistry: Ocean Acidification (Grades 6-12)
Participants will explore acids and bases that can be found at home to understand their properties and to use and understand indicators while creating their own pH scales. Then, they’ll apply what they’ve learned to test the waters of our oceans, culminating in a discussion about the effects humans have on acidifying oceans and their inhabitants.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days Offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: 30
Cost: $190 for first program; $100 for each additional program

Auditorium Programs

Grades K-8

Shark Presentation (Grades K-8)

Sharks are not the fearsome eating machines portrayed in movies. Explore these unique creatures and their amazing survival adaptations while dispelling myths about these “monsters.” Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6B.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days offered: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: 300
Cost:$350 per program

Rain Forest Presentations (Grades K-8)

Investigate plant and animal interactions and adaptations for survival in the South American rain forest. Discover the importance of this unique habitat, threats to its conservation and how to influence its future. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Live Animal: No
Days offered: Monday through Friday
Number of Students: 300
Cost:$350 per program

Marine Mammals (grades 3-8)

What mammals live in the ocean? Find out what it takes to survive in the ocean and discover this unusual and diverse group of mammals. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3F, 6B.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: 300
Cost:$350 per program

Waterman Presentation (Grades 3-8)

Explore the Chesapeake Bay through the experiences of a waterman. Costumes, artifacts and personal stories help students understand how the loss of habitat affects both animals and people. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B.

Program Length: 60 minutes
Days offered: Monday to Friday
Live Animal: No
Number of Students: 300
Cost:$350 per program

Theme Days: Auditorium Presentations & Labs

A theme day is a great way to give classes in multiple grade levels the opportunity to participate in an outreach program. Each theme day includes:

• Two auditorium presentations

• Ten interactive discovery sessions that allow students to explore the theme in depth and to investigate animals introduced in the auditorium presentation. The 20-minute sessions are identical and each is limited to one class (of up to 30 students) to encourage optimal learning. Parent volunteers are required to assist with interactive discovery sessions.

Theme Day programs are available on Thursdays and Fridays and cost $790 per day. Additional discovery labs are $40 each, with a maximum of two additional labs. Half-day and extra lab days are available upon request.

Ocean Theme Day

Shark Presentation (Grades K-8)

Sharks are not the fearsome eating machines portrayed in movies. Explore these unique creatures and their amazing survival adaptations while dispelling myths about these “monsters.” Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6B.

Marine Mammals (Grades 3-8)

What mammals live in the ocean? Find out what it takes to survive in the ocean, and discover this unusual and diverse group of mammals. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3F, 6B.

Discovery Lab

Students explore the ocean world by examining shark jaws, a whale vertebra, baleen, shells, living animals and much more. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3F, 6B.

Chesapeake Bay Theme Day

Marshland Mystery Presentation (Grades K-2)

What animals can you find in the marsh, and what is happening to them? Investigate the animals of a marsh, how they live and the challenges they face. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B

Waterman Presentation (Grades 3-5)

Explore the Chesapeake Bay through the experiences of a waterman. Costumes, artifacts and personal stories help students understand how the loss of habitat affects both animals and people. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B

Rain Forest Theme Day

Rain Forest Presentations (Grades K-8)

Investigate plant and animal interactions and adaptations for survival in the South American rain forest. Discover the importance of this unique habitat, threats to its survival and how to influence its future. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B

Discovery Lab

Students have up-close and personal experiences with living animals, rainforest products, artifacts from indigenous people and more. Curriculum 1A, 3A, 3D, 3E, 3F, 6A, 6B